| Issue 33 |
December 2001/January 2002 |
|
12/1
Saturday
8:30 AM
Strenuous
Volusia County
|
Spruce Creek Trail Ride
Come mountain bike this trail near New Smyrna Beach. It
takes you to high overlooks of Spruce Creek and it’s tidal waters. We’ll
ride along a swampy spot with lush vegetation and meander through hilly
oaks and pine. Helmets are mandatory. Reservations required. Members and
their invited guests, only. Event hosts: Mary Ellen Bell (904) 761-7418 or
bellme@cts.db.erau.edu |
|
12/6
Thursday
9:00 AM
Leisure
Osceola County
|
Disney Wilderness Preserve Hike
The Disney Preserve is a revitalization project established in 1992
with an initial purchase of 8,500 acres. More than 7 miles of hiking and
interactive trails are laid out on about 700 acres of the 12,000 acre
property. There is an admission fee of $2.00. There are two cypress shaded
picnic tables for lunch. Directions: From I-4 take Hwy 192 exit and go
east, toward Kissimmee. Turn right (south) on Poinciana Boulevard. and go
to the end of the road (approximately 12 miles). Turn right on Pleasant
Hill Road. The Preserve will be on the left, about 2 miles. Reservations
not required. Event Hosts: Mary Kelsh, 407-628-4908 and Mary Anne Freyer. |
|
12/8
Saturday
4:00 PM
Fun
Orange County
|
Trekker Annual Holiday Party
Our annual Holiday Party will be held at the home of MiMi and Eric
Kendrick. It is casual and will be both indoors and outdoors. We'll sing
festive songs, enjoy a crackling fire, meet new members and renew
friendships. We will have a Chinese auction: the gift you open may be
taken from you by a subsequent person. Gifts may be old, new, valuable,
silly, or something "only a Trekker would love." The party
starts at 4 PM and dinner will be served at 6 PM. Meat, dessert, punch and
soda will be provided. Please bring an appetizer, or side dish to share.
This is a non-alcoholic celebration. This is a great way to get into the
holiday spirit. Prizes will be awarded for the most unique winter hat and
the outfit which shows the "most spirit". Directions: I-4 West
from downtown Orlando, take the new Conroy Road exit(#31A) and turn right
(west) on Conroy Road. Travel 3.5 miles (past Kirkman, Dr. Phillips and
Hiawassee) and turn right on to Winderlakes Drive (Winderlakes
Subdivision). This is the first subdivision past Hiawassee Road. Located
0.8 miles on the left, 4010 Winderlakes Drive. This event is limited to WT
members and their invited guest. Please RSVP by 12/6 to Lynn VanHorne at
LVH@mpinet.net or call 407-331-8609. |
|
12/10-14
Mon – Fri
Time tbd
Moderate
Santa Rosa, Washington & Bay County
|
Panhandle Rivers Paddle
Monday and Tuesday we will camp at Blackwater River State Park. Tuesday
paddle Sweetwater Creek. Wednesday we will break camp and paddle Coldwater
Creek. After the paddle we will camp for the remainder of the week at
Falling Water State Rec Area. Thursday we will paddle a section of Holmes
Creek. Friday we will paddle the best section of Econfina river. Bring
lots of firewood. I love campfires. Reservations required only so I have
indication group size. Welcome for partial trip. Contact host for meeting
place and starting times. Trip Host: Peter Blichfeldt pblichfeldt@hotmail.com |
|
12/15
Saturday
9:00 AM
Moderate
Lake/Seminole County
|
Seminole State Forest Hike
We will hike the Florida Scenic Trail through the Seminole State Forest
from the South entrance to the North entrance. This is about a 7 mile walk
that includes both heavily wooded and scrub areas. Signs of deer and bear
are usually evident here and there are several colonies of scrub jays in
the forest. There will be a lunch break at the bridge over Blackwater
Creek. The meeting place will be the North entrance on SR 44. We will
shuttle to the South entrance and hike back. Directions: From I-4, exit
51, take SR 46 west about seven and a half miles and veer right onto CR 46
A. When you get to SR 44 (about five and a half miles) turn right and go
about five miles to Brantley Branch Rd. The entrance is on the right. Be
prepared to pay the iron ranger $ 2 . DeLorme Gazetteer pp. 80,79. This
trip is for members and their invited guest. Reservations are not needed,
but an e-mail will allow me to notify you of any changes. Event host:
Chuck Russakov, russakov@mpinet.net
http://www.TOPOZONE.COM/map.asp?z=17&n=3191744&e=458419&s=200. |
|
12./15
Saturday
9:00 a.m.
Moderate
Volusia County
|
Ormond Beach Paddle
Paddle on three different waterways, each with a different look. Start
on Strickland Creek with a first stop at the ruins of Addison Blockhouse,
dating from the Seminole Indian Wars. It's a 20 minute hike in. Second
stop is the mouth of the Tomoka River on a white sand beach, then on to a
lunch stop at the Tomoka State Park where there is a snack bar. Return by
Thompson's Creek to the put-in. The Tomoka River section is open and there
could be some wind. The other legs are quite sheltered. There are no
pullovers or other obstacles, just water. Put-in is at Sanchez Park on a
wide sandy beach, just north of St. Rt. 40 off US 1. (DeLorme pg. 75 - B1)
North on US 1 from St. Rt. 40 to Wilmette (Fire Station on Corner) Turn
Right on Wilmette to Yonge (stop sign); Then left on Yonge to Sanchez
(road ends at Sanchez); Left on Sanchez to Sanchez Park (about one block).
No limit, but call for reservations. Event Co-Host Stan Driscoll StanDrscl@aol.com
386-677-4353 Neill Beavers neillbeavers@earthlink.net |
|
12/16
Sunday
9:00 AM
Moderate
Brevard County
|
Turkey Creek Paddle
Palm Bay's Turkey Creek offers some of the most scenic paddling in
Brevard County. This will be a fun trip, with 3-4 hours round trip
paddling time to the Sanctuary and back. Once there, we'll eat lunch, then
stroll the boardwalks. There's a good chance we'll see some manatees near
the put-in or in the Sanctuary itself. Alligators are often seen along the
way. Canoes/kayaks rentals available from Nik's Boat Rental, 312-725-8800
($22/half-day) -- renters are responsible for making rental arrangements
well in advance and allowing time to paddle 1/4 mile up river to meet the
group at Goode Park. Reservations required by 12/10, members only, limit
15 boats. Event Host: Larry Reed, paddleFL@aol.com |
|
12/29-12/30
Sat-Sun
8:00 AM
Moderate
Marion County
|
Oklawaha River Paddle and Camp
Join fellow Trekkers for a 2-day trip on the Oklawaha River. The
Oklawaha River as well as the Silver River is one of the most beautiful
and scenic rivers in Florida. We'll meet at the Ocklawaha Outfitters on CR
316 in Eureka at 8:00 A.M. sharp on Saturday morning to begin the shuttle
to Wayside Park at SR 40 at the Ocklawaha. The outfitter will charge
$15.00/boat to shuttle the 18 miles to SR 40. We'll plan to be in the
water by 10:00 A.M. and start the morning off with a short paddle up
stream on the Silver River. We will then begin paddling to our campsite
just before Gores Landing (approximately 8 miles downstream). This will be
primitive camping alongside the Ocklawaha. All participants will
need to bring all appropriate camping equipment and food for two lunches
(Sat. & Sun.) along with Saturday night dinner and Sunday morning
breakfast. We'll break camp after breakfast and canoe to our final
destination back to the Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost RV Park at Eureka. We'll
again plan to be in the water by 10:00 A.M. on Sunday and have lunch along
the river during our final 7-8 mile paddle down stream to the Canoe
Outpost. Members and friends only. Limited to 8 boats. Map
and directions will come later as the trip gets closer. Event host: Lee
Simmons, (386) 943-8745 or e-mail to leedeland@yahoo.com |
|
1/5
Saturday
8:30 AM
Strenuous Volusia County
|
Spruce Creek Trail Ride
Come mountain bike this trail near New Smyrna Beach. It takes you to
high overlooks of Spruce Creek and it’s tidal waters. We’ll ride along
a swampy spot with lush vegetation and meander through hilly oaks and
pine. Helmets are mandatory. Reservations required. Members and their
invited guests, only. Event hosts: Mary Ellen Bell (904) 761-7418 or
bellme@cts.db.erau.edu |
|
1/10
Thursday
9:00 AM.
Moderate
Volusia County
|
Blue Spring State Park Hike
Blue Spring plays a vital role in the survival of the manatee. An
observation platform provides a view of the endangered mammals that gather
at the spring from November through March. Come early and stay late to
view the manatees. We will hike 4 miles and have lunch on the banks of St.
John's River. Take I-4 N to exit 54; CR472 W to dead-end; right (south) off
ramp onto hwy 17-92 (south) 1.7 miles; right onto French Ave. 2.1 miles;
left into park 1.2 miles to trailhead. Meet at parking lot trail head.
There is a $4.00 entrance fee. Please call if you are going to meet us at
the trailhead. Event host Mary Kelsh (407) 628-4908 and co-host Mary Anne
Freyer |
|
1/12
Saturday
8:30 AM
Moderate Seminole County
|
Econ River Paddle
Country Road 419 at the Econ, Seminole County, Moderate Join us for the
2nd section of this paddle from SR 50 to the St Johns River. (If you
missed the first section, call and I'll tell you how to catch up). We will
paddle from CR 419 to Snow Hill Road (Feb we'll do the third section).
Approximately 8 miles. This section has sandy banks with abundant
wildlife. It still is mostly wild and sparsely populated with constant
danger of encroachment by developers. Put-in at Country Road 419 bridge at
the Econ. No limit, but call for reservations. Event Host: Neill Beavers
neillbeavers@earthlink.net or 407-834-9708 |
|
1/12-13
Sat - Sun
10:00AM
Moderate
Volusia County
|
Blue Springs State Park Backpack - Now Hal Scott
Preserve
The
location of the Jan 12-13 backpacking trip has changed from Blue
Springs Park to Hal Scott Preserve. Please contact Eric for further
information.
Reservations
required, members only, limit 12 people. E-mail eric.kendrick@jacobs.com
or call 407-445-0603 to confirm availability, then obtain your reservation
by sending $4 pp check made out to Wilderness Trekkers with SASE to event
host two weeks in advance: Eric Kendrick, 4010 Winderlakes Drive, Orlando,
Florida 32835. |
|
1/19
Saturday
10:00 AM
Leisure Seminole County
|
TCO Front Porch Seminar
If you need a tent or are thinking about replacing your current one,
this is the seminar for you. We'll talk about tent design, which ones are
the proven veterans, what's new, and what's good for base camping vs.
backpacking. We'll show you the choices, talk about the pros and cons of
each,, and help you choose the right one for your outdoor lifestyle. Plus
there will be an ample display of tents set up for your inspection. As an
added bonus, those attending the seminar will have an opportunity to win a
free tent, compliments of Travel Country Outdoors. TCO is located at 101
East Hwy 436, Altamonte Springs, FL. Call for directions to the store.
407-831-0777. |
|
1/19
Saturday
Leisure
Osceola County
|
Lake Kissimmee State Park Day Hike
This State Park is located within the Osceola Plain, surrounded by
Tiger Lake, Lake Rosalie and Lake Kissimmee. We will hike 5.9 miles of the
Buster Island Loop. Afterwards we will visit the cow camp and have a
ranger explain what life was like for Florida "Crackers" in the
1800s. Take I-4 W to US 27 (exit 23); US 27 south 24 miles; SR 60 14 miles
to signs leading to the park. Guest welcome, no reservations required.
Notify trip host for car pool possibilities. Event hosts: Lynn VanHorne
and Kurth Chin Fatt LVH@mpinet.net, 407-331-8609. |
|
1/26
Saturday
8:00 AM
Leisure
Lake County
|
Alexander Springs Paddle
We will meet at the County. Rd. 445 bridge. That's off Hwy 19 out of
Umatilla. Delorme pg. 73 D-3. The bridge is east of the Alexander Springs
park entrance. We will unload our boats and shuttle the vehicles to the
parking lot at the take out. Warning - the shuttle is on dirt forest
roads. We will drive slow and your vehicle will get dusty but it is worth
it. The paddle will start at the bridge and we shall paddle up stream to
the spring, then reverse and paddle down to the take out. The upper
portion of the run is open and as we get down the run we will paddle
through some vegetation. Bring usual, lunch, sun screen insect repellent.
Camping is available at Alexander Springs Campground first come basis. Let
me know if you plan to attend so I can send you irrelevant information as
we get close to the date. Event Host: Peter Blichfeldt
pblichfeldt@hotmail.com |
|
1/26
Saturday
8:00 AM
Moderate Orange County
|
Withlacoochee State Forest Day Hike
Join us on the rolling hills of the A Loop Croom Trail for a 7.5 miles
loop. We'll meet at 8 AM at the K Mart parking lot in Winter Garden to
carpool. For more information call 407-656-2408 after January 20. Members
and non-members are welcome. Reservations not required, but please contact
hosts so you can be notified of changes. Event hosts: Marcia and John
Browning Browinjo@aol.com |
|
2/1 – 2/3
Fri – Sun
Time tbd
Leisure
Osceola County
|
Prairie Lakes Camping and Hiking
Weekend camping and hiking trip at Prairie Lakes, south of St. Cloud.
This trip combines the solitude of backpacking with the ease of day hiking
because the camp site, Parker Hammock, is scenic but very close to the
parking lot and is near the junction of two 5.5-mile loop trails. One
trail will be hiked Saturday and one Sunday. Pot luck Saturday night.
Contact host for meeting time and directions. Event host: Chuck Noe,
writenow40@hotmail.com (preferred method of contact), or call
561-588-7457. |
